I love this deal for the Chargers. If Gaither can stay healthy, he provides them the franchise left tackle they would otherwise lack and those don’t grow on trees. Not only that, he provides them a franchise left tackle for cheap, about 6 million per year (4 years, 24.6 million). And if he doesn’t stay healthy, it’s not a huge deal because only 8 million is guaranteed.
Grade: A
Wide Receiver
Troy
5-9 185
Draft board overall prospect rank: #131
Draft board overall wide receiver rank: #14
Overall rating: 61 (4th round)
40 time: 4.32
4/18/11: Jerrel Jernigan is a do it all speedster who has put up nice stats on the small school level over the past two years. He has 2791 receiving yards and 842 rushing yards in the past 3 years, though it’s worth noting his receiving yards dropped significantly from his junior year total of 1101 to his senior year total of 822. He also contributes in a big way on special teams with 2 years experience as a kick returner and one year of experience as a punt returner, with a TD of both as a senior.
His timed speed matches what you see on the tape with a 4.32 40 at his Pro Day after a surprisingly slow 4.47 at the Combine. He’s closer to 4.32 on tape so I’m going with that time. It’s worth noting that of his 822 receiving yards as a senior, 209 receiving yards came in one game and since that opponent was lowly Arkansas State, that’s not a great sign. Neither are performances of 27 yards against Louisiana-Monroe, 32 yards against Florida International, 40 yards against Bowling Green and 40 yards against Middle Tennessee.
Starting receiver prospects should dominate those types of teams and 4 bad performances against 4 weaker teams is a bad sign. I think he’s a slot guy at the next level. His height is also an issue at 5-9. He’s not a vertical threat or a red zone threat. It’s also worth noting that he was barely the leading receiver on his own team. Troy had 3859 passing/receiving yards as a team and Jernigan’s percentage of them, 21%, isn’t all that impressive.
In the end, Jernigan is going to go a lot higher than he should because he’s a workout wonder. He looks great in open field drills in workouts and times really well and NFL teams love speed, especially with the way guys like DeSean Jackson and Mike Wallace have set the league on fire in recent years. Jernigan is not on their level. He’s a solid slot receiver who can occasionally carry the ball and a strong special teamer. I don’t see a starting receiver in him; of course I said the same thing about Mike Wallace.
NFL Comparison: Antonio Brown
Cornerback
Florida
5-11 189
40 time: 4.43
Draft board overall prospect rank: #9
Draft board cornerback rank: #1
Overall rating: 91*
3/18/10: Turns out that 4.57 40 from his Combine was a result of a sore back. Haden ran a 4.43 40 at his Pro Day, in the rain nonetheless, so I’ll move him back to his Pre-Combine status. He’s still, by far, my top cornerback.
3/2/10: Not going to knock him down too much, but the 4.57 at 5-11 193 hurts his chances to go in the top 10 as he competes with Derrick Morgan, Rolando McClain, and Jason Pierre Paul to go 7th to Cleveland. I do expect him to run a little better at his Pro Day, but really his lack of speed today can be attributed to his running style, which shouldn’t hurt him on the football field. He doesn’t have good track speed, but he has football speed.
A former quarterback and wide receiver, Haden has all of the physical tools necessary for the NFL and he showed this year that he can be an amazing shutdown corner. He plays with great physicality and strength and uses those to shutdown the opposing wide receiver. He doesn’t scream #1 corner at me just yet, but he’s only 20 and in his 3rd year playing the position so if his development continues as it should, the sky is the limit for him. He is good against the run and as a blitzer which are rare, but useful skills for a cornerback to have.
1/23/10: A former quarterback and wide receiver, Haden has all of the physical tools necessary for the NFL and he showed this year that he can be an amazing shutdown corner. He plays with great physicality and strength and uses those to shutdown the opposing wide receiver. He doesn’t scream #1 corner at me just yet, but he’s only 20 and in his 3rd year playing the position so if his development continues as it should, the sky is the limit for him. He is good against the run and as a blitzer which are rare, but useful skills for a cornerback to have.
10/26/09: Joe Haden may be the most athletic cornerback prospect in the 2010 NFL Draft class. He’s only a junior, but he should be a combine wonder before the draft. He has a great vertical leap, good size, good strength, and great speed. He has experience playing quarterback and wide receiver as well, as he played both in high school. He’s fast and hits hard. He has great hands and makes plays on the ball well. He’s very good in run support and as a blitzing corner. He’s more of a zone roaming corner than a man-to-man corner. He’s better at roaming a zone and making the big play, like a tackle or an interception or a pass breakup, than he is guarding receivers. He can get burnt easily and struggles some with man coverage. He hits like a safety and catches like a receiver, but struggles with some cornerback fundamentals. However, he is extremely athletic and in the right scheme can be a deadly cornerback. He has been starting for Florida since the day he stepped on campus which is quite an accomplishment. He’s been making plays since the day he begin to start which is even more of an accomplishment. He looks as much of a first round lock at corner as anyone right now assuming he declares. He is only 20 years old and a bit of a project so he might be wise to stay in school and improve, but he may be forced out by the threat of a pay scale in 2011.
NFL Comparison: Tracy Porter
*=For a breakdown of what this means, click here
When I saw the Falcons resigned Blalock, I was impressed they were able to walk away from free agency only losing one offensive lineman and also signing a much needed pass rushing left end in Ray Edwards. Then I saw how much they paid him. Did they overpay Blalock, a guard, by giving him 38 million over 6 years with 16 million guaranteed? I definitely think so, but they have no major free agents left so it’s not the worst thing in the world to overpay a bit when he’s a valued member of a strength from a 13-3 team and you can fit him under the cap.
Grade: B
Tight End
Notre Dame
6-6 258
Draft board overall prospect rank: #41
Draft board overall tight end rank: #1
Overall rating: 79 (early 2nd)
40 time: 4.75
4/11/11: Kyle Rudolph is a first round talent with 7th round durability. Athletically he is an elite tight end prospect and he certainly flashes on tape, but there’s not a ton of tape on him because of how often he is hurt. Missing 3 games with a shoulder injury as a sophomore, he caught 33 passes for 364 yards and 3 touchdowns. He missed 7 games this year with a hamstring problem and caught 28 passes for 328 yards and 3 touchdowns.
He’s a strong route runner with good mobility and excellent size. He has soft hands and guys tend to get out of his way when he has a head of steam in the open field. His blocking needs to get a little better, but he has the size and strength to be a good blocker. His problem is technique. He’s a vertical threat as well and a very good end zone threat. He’s close to the complete package at tight end, but he needs to stay healthy.
If teams weren’t scared by his injury problems, he’d probably go in the first round. However, even though he proved he is over his recent hamstring injury at his Pro Day, teams are still afraid of his injury red flags. If a guy can’t stay healthy when he’s this young, it doesn’t bode well for his future. He’ll probably go off the board in the top half of the 2nd round, sometime in the first 50 or so picks.
NFL Comparison: Rob Gronkowski
By Dean Holden
After watching four games of Detroit Lions football, a very important fact has dawned on me.
The Lions, after so many years of losing, are allergic to leads.
Seriously, think about it. They seem to avoid taking the lead in any football game, and when they do have them, they have a violent reaction that gets it away from them in the most efficient way possible.
The Lions lead by a touchdown, the Vikings will be forced to punt…two plays later, the score is 7-7.
The Lions lead the Bears by 11, it’s almost halftime…90 seconds later, that lead is one point, and their starting quarterback is out indefinitely.
The Lions dominate the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, moving the ball at will and winning the turnover battle. After holding the Packers’ offense scoreless the entire second half, they drive into Green Bay territory with a two-point deficit, punt, and never get the ball back.
See, if it’s not a lethal allergy to leads, how do you explain the Lions being 0-4 after playing at or above the level of their competition each game?
Believe it or not, there’s a good reason for every game, why the Lions should have won, and why they didn’t. And no, it’s not really an allergy.
Let’s take it game-by-game.
Week 1 at Chicago Bears
Why the Lions Should Have Won
Everybody expects me to go sour grapes on Calvin Johnson’s non-TD, and while it’s true that the Lions could have won on that play, that’s not where the Lions played their best football that day.
Detroit’s defense was dominant all day, especially in the second half. Of Chicago’s seven drives in the second half, five started closer than Chicago’s 35-yard line. Two started in Lions’ territory. One started a yard away from a touchdown.
Only the last one, which started at the Chicago 44-yard line, resulted in any points. Had the Lions gotten anything going offensively in the second half, the game would have been much different.
Why the Lions Lost
No, I’m not blaming the refs. We’re past that.
I’m blaming the offense for the first 28 minutes of the second half. Granted, I know it’s hard to rally after your leader and supposed franchise savior gets sidelined after playing 1/32 of a season, but all they needed was one.
With the way the defense was playing—and on basically zero rest between shifts, I might add—one scoring drive would have been enough to put the game away. Sure, they almost got it in the closing seconds, but what about the two whole quarters prior to that?
Week 2 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Why the Lions Should Have Won
For all the talk about Michael Vick’s kilowatt-hour consumption, it’s easy to overlook how the Eagles were nearly beaten by the Lions, and that Vick was sacked six times in that game, coughing up a fumble on one.
In large part, the defense played well, if you subtract the major mistakes and the big plays.
Which, of course, is a ridiculous assessment, like saying the Detroit Tigers would have won if you subtract all Tiger errors and opponents’ home runs. But the point is that the Lions didn’t lack the talent to stop the Eagles, they lacked the consistency.
Oh, it’s probably also worth noting that the Lions had the leading passer (Shaun Hill), receiver (Jahvid Best), and all-around offensive player (Best) in the game, and that they out-gained the Eagles in the game.
Why the Lions Lost
It wasn’t so much that the Eagles just drove the ball at will. It’s that they would gain a yard, lose four, then gain 30. Too many mistakes destroyed what could have been a solid defensive performance.
But more importantly, the offense stood dormant for most of the game, especially in the second half when the defense was making stops. The Lions failed to take advantage of numerous opportunities to come back in the game.
That is, of course, until they dug an 18-point deficit, then the offense woke up with five minutes to go and scored two touchdowns. Then, after recovering an onside kick, and with just under two minutes to go and a timeout, the Lions needed about 25 yards to be in range for a game-tying field goal.
Somebody forgot to tell Scott Linehan and/or Shaun Hill, because that game situation was apparently interpreted as “time to throw up some easily knocked-away passes down the sidelines and just see what happens.” Despite Best’s stellar performance on passes to the middle of the field to that point, the entire area inside the hash marks was ignored, and the result was four incomplete passes.
In other words, the defense was weak early, they stepped it up late. The offense was weak in the middle, but strong early and VERY late. The play-calling on the potential game-winning/tying drive? Abysmal.
Week 3 at Minnesota Vikings
Why the Lions Should Have Won
Brett Favre was made to look like a 40-year-old grandfather in this game. Which is impressive, since Favre is actually not a…wait a second…
Anyway, Favre’s final stat line of 23/34 for 201 yards looks fine, but doesn’t tell the story of how poorly Favre played in the game. The zip is gone from his passes, he looks unsure in the pocket, and he’s obviously out of sync with his offense.
If only there were a multiple-week period of time before the season starts for teammates to work on things like offensive sets and timing and chemistry and what color are our jerseys again? They could even make it like camp. Ooh, they could call it that, too!
Despite playing without their starting quarterback, two top running backs, No. 2 wide receiver, and one of their tight ends for several plays, the Lions offense was able to move down the field, once again, mounting a late comeback bid.
In the fourth quarter, the Lions had as many drives in the red zone as they needed touchdowns to tie the game.
Why the Lions Lost
Problem is, both of those late drives ended in end zone interceptions.
Disappointing, since the Lions had previously been uncharacteristically good in the red zone this year.
Bottom line, though. Two passes caught in the end zone by Vikings players. If they’re caught by Lions players, the game is tied. And the Vikings were unable to get any offense going in the fourth quarter.
The Lions jumped out to an early lead and then earned a defensive stop, but held onto that momentum with exactly the same ability that Stefan Logan held onto the ensuing punt. And it went pretty much downhill from there.
Also, it tends to be easier to win against the Vikings when Adrian Peterson doesn’t set a personal best in something.
Against the Lions, it’s usually fumbles. This time, he completed his longest professional run from scrimmage with a 80-yard dash to the end zone, capping off a 160-yard day.
Week 4 at Green Bay Packers
Why the Lions Should Have Won
Why not? I taped that game, I’ve watched it a couple of times, and I’ve come to a revelation.
Over that 60-minute period, the Detroit Lions were a better team than the Green Bay Packers.
Why? Let me count the ways.
Exactly 170 more yards from scrimmage. Better turnover ratio. A quarterback with more yards on one scramble than any Packer running back had the whole game. More first downs. Better third down efficiency. A 15-minute advantage in time of possession. And a 40-year-old kicker who’s still got it.
This was the first game this season in which the Lions mostly dominated both sides of the ball in the second half, but then got worse in the closing minutes, instead of better. The Lions needed one more drive to win, but never got it.
Why the Lions Lost
Penalties, penalties, and some more penalties.
Last year, the Packers tripped over themselves several times, notching 13 penalties for 130 yards. The offense still put up 26 points, but the defense held Detroit to zero.
This year, the Lions committed 13 penalties for 102 yards, and the offense put up 26 points. Problem is, the defense allowed 28.
Partly because of penalties, the Lions were forced to settle for field goals instead of touchdowns. That’s a big deal in a game where the margin of victory is two points, especially when one of those drives starts on the Packer 18-yard line.
More than anything, though, the Lions once again failed to realize that “close” isn’t close enough. After swinging the momentum completely in their favor, they stalled on the go-ahead drive in Packer territory, punted with over 6 minutes on the clock, and never bothered getting the ball back.
Give credit to Mike McCarthy for calling a masterful game-ending drive, with a perfect blend of pass and run that kept the clock running on nearly every down.
But also take some away from the Lions, who found a way to avoid that lead once again, as has been their trend so far this year.
http://bleacherreport.com/users/64307-dean-holden
Baltimore Ravens sign Marshal Yanda
Yanda is a valuable offensive lineman for the Ravens. He can play right tackle or move inside to guard depending on what happens with Jared Gaither’s health at right tackle. The Ravens focused on areas other than the line in the draft so they almost had to resign Yanda. 32 million over 5 years is reasonable considering he’s still only 26.
Grade: A
Spotlight #1: Nebraska CB Alfonzo Dennard
Spotlight #2: Michigan State S Trenton Robinson
1st quarter
12:58: Cousins throws into double coverage. Dennard in there. Good recovery speed to make a play on the ball.
12:01: Cousins throws into tight coverage. Cunningham is beat to the ball by a linebacker, picked.
11:07: Robinson does a good job of finding the ball. Good speed and wrap up on a tackle.
10:20: Robinson with a solid tackle on a quarterback run.
8:12: Dennard knocked off the play well on a screen.
7:12: Robinson takes a poor angle to the ball, shoved off the play easily.
0:41: Dennard beats Cunningham to the ball on a slant. Deflection.
2nd quarter
12:17: Dennard with a tackle for no gain on an outside run.
12:01: Cousins throws to Cunningham into double coverage, Dennard with a play on the ball. Pass deflected.
11:00: Dennard gets into the backfield on an outside run. Pushed off the play well by a blocker.
9:38: Robinson in on a pile near the line of scrimmage.
6:55: Cousins takes a coverage sack from Baker Steinkuhler, a talented junior defensive tackle who probably won’t come out this year.
5:39: Dennard almost has in pick in double coverage. He hasn’t done a lot of one on one covering tonight, but he has 4 pass deflections in almost a half in double coverage. He’s the one making all the plays. Meanwhile, Kirk Cousins keeps throwing deep into double coverage. Very poor decision making.
4:33: Dennard blocked off on an outside run.
1:43: Cousins has a pick dropped. He’s having a terrible game.
3rd quarter
14:49: Robinson in on a short tackle.
10:24: Robinson pancaked on a reverse.
9:36: Robinson run over.
8:18: Dennard on Cunningham again, he almost gets his 5 pass deflection, but instead it’s just incomplete. Kirk Cousins is 4 of 16 so far tonight.
6:10: Coverage sack by Nebraska again.
5:58: Robinson with a tackle for a gain of 3.
3:02: Robinson in on a tackle on the outside.
1:38: Robinson brings the ball carrier down from behind after a big gain. Play called back after a penalty.
1:19: Robinson whiffs on a tackle for loss.
4th
13:12: Dennard with a nice open field tackle.
12:11: Dennard and Lavonte David doubling a receiver. This time David almost picks it off. Pass deflection.
12:02: Coverage sack for Nebraska.
11:16: Dennard allows a short catch on 4th and 13. He kept the play in front of him in coverage. That’s what he was supposed to do, but he missed the tackle. First down.
9:59: Dennard blocked with an excellent block on a reverse.
8:23: Lavonte David with a tackle for a loss.
4:45: Another coverage sack.
2:46: Robinson in on a short tackle.
1:46: Robinson with a tackle for loss.
0:00: Nebraska had a very simple game plan. Take away DJ Cunningham. In 7 games coming in, Cunningham caught 48 balls for 723 yards and 3 scores. He’s by far his team’s leading receiver and Kirk Cousins loves throwing to him. They had double coverage on him all night. Alfonzo Dennard, once a consensus first round pick who has been slowed by injuries this season, was the cornerback on him on almost every play. In addition, Nebraska always put a safety or a linebacker on him as well. Lavonte David, a day 2 prospect and one of the best cover linebackers in college football, was that linebacker on several occasions. That game plan worked. BJ Cunningham didn’t have a catch.
Kirk Cousins seemed completely lost without Cunningham. I noted earlier this season that Cunningham often would try to force things to Cunningham, his favorite target. It had been working to this point. Cunningham was one of the Big 10’s leading receivers and Cousins looked like a day 2 prospect going 136 of 204 (66.7%) for 1707 yards (8.4 YPA), 11 touchdowns, and 4 picks in 7 games. However, tonight Cousins went a miserable 11 of 27 for 86 yards and a pick in a 24-3 loss.
Cousins seemed determined to force it to Cunningham even though Nebraska was focused on stopping him. He refused to check down, in favor of forcing it to his favorite receiver deep against double coverage. He may have only had 1 pick, but Nebraska’s defenders got their hands on at least a half dozen balls, probably around in the 7-8 deflections range. He really displayed poor decision making and it should drop his stock into the early day 3 range.
Cunningham should also see his stock fall a bit. Cunningham looked like a breakout star coming into this game, but he couldn’t do anything against double coverage even though he was targeted so many times. He was getting beat to the ball by linebackers and cornerbacks alike and Alfonzo Dennard flat out outplayed him.
Dennard had the type of awesome game we were expecting him to have coming into the season. He had 4 pass deflections and only allowed one catch, a short catch on 4th and 13, though he did whiff on the tackle and allow the first down. Yes, he did have help all game, but he was the one making all the plays and he really showed everything you like out of a cornerback in coverage. Not only did he have 4 deflections, his tough coverage helped force at least 3 or 4 coverage sacks against Kirk Cousins.
He struggled a bit against the run, but if he keeps playing like this, he’ll move himself back into the top 15 range. He finally looks healthy after struggling with injuries to start the season and now has half a season to prove himself as the #1 cornerback. Remember, he was the #2 guy last year to Prince Amukamara, though Dennard played very well in that role.
The other spotlight in this game was Trenton Robinson. The former cornerback looks finally healthy after a history of leg injuries. He had 8 tackles in this game and looked sharp in coverage, though he is only 5-10 195 and it showed against the run. He had a good number of tackles, but he didn’t look like a strong tackler and he did miss a few tackles. Unless he can convert back to cornerback, he won’t be anything higher than a late round pick. On the season, he has 39 tackles and 2 picks.
Running Back
Tennessee
6-0 229
40 time: 4.49
Draft board overall prospect rank: #107
Draft board running back rank: #9
Overall rating: 68*
3/20/10: Every year there are running backs drafted in the 3rd or 4th round who go on to become functional starters in the NFL. Montario Hardesty could very well be one of those. He does every thing you like a running back to do and does a lot of things that are very advanced for his age. For one, he has good hands. He rarely fumbles, catches well out of the backfield, and is even a solid pass protector. These are not traits you normally see out of a college running back, but they are traits any good starting running back needs and because of that, Hardesty can help a team out with 150-200 carries right away. At the very least, he will be a 3rd round back and a solid backup. He also is very fast for his size and has decent breakaway speed. He’s got excellent vision and decent elusiveness for his size and should fit well in a one cut zone blocking scheme. He’s a hard runner, but lacks elite explosiveness through the whole and doesn’t change directions very well. He showed elite athletic ability at the Combine in drills like the broad jump and the vertical leap, for what it’s worth. He has good speed, but not elite breakaway speed and he runs a bit upright sometimes which could mean trouble for him in the NFL because big backs who run upright don’t break as many tackles as they good. His track record is very limited and he’s a bit of a one year wonder. Even in his one year as a feature back he was not extremely impressive with 1345 yards on 282 yards, a 4.8 YPC, though, again, his 25 catches for 302 yards and a touchdown were impressive. I like him as a starting running back going forward and, at the very least, he’s a 3rd down and backup running back with a home in the league, but I think his upside is fairly limited. He’ll never be an overly impressive Pro Bowl caliber feature back. At best, he’s a get the job done type guy who would excel in a zone style offense.
NFL Comparison: Chester Taylor
*=For a breakdown of what this means, click here
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles stole the offseason. They might not be the best team (though they might be), but there’s no question this is the most hyped team. The added a key addition at almost every position, Dominique Rodgers Cromartie and Nnamdi Asomugha at cornerback, Jason Babin at defensive end, Cullen Jenkins at… (read more)
Prediction: 14-5 1st in NFC East, lose in NFC Championship
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys bottomed out last season. Once a popular pick to become the first team to play in a Super Bowl the same season that they hosted the Super Bowl, the Cowboys started the season 1-7 and finished 6-10. However, it wasn’t all bad. Wade Phillips is finally gone. The Cowboys were never going to win a… (read more)
Prediction: 10-6 2nd in NFC East
New York Giants
In 2004, the Giants started 4-1 before finishing 6-10. In 2006, they started 6-2 before finishing 8-8. They still made the playoffs and lost to the Eagles in the first. In 2007, they started 6-2 before finishing 10-6. They eventually got their act together and won the Super Bowl, but their 2nd half struggles were still… (read more)
Prediction: 7-9 3rd in NFC East
Washington Redskins
Rex Grossman predicts the Redskins will win the NFC East. Rex Grossman is wrong. Don’t get me wrong, I love that he made that prediction. I love unfounded confidence in sports. I love when a team down 3-0 in a series predicts a series win. I love when a team currently out of the playoff race predicts they will win… (read more)
Prediction: 6-10 4th in NFC East
Football Fan Spot 